German Shepherd Dog

Coat Colours & Genetics

The following is a summary of colour inheritance in the German Shepherd based on information from "The German Shepherd Dog: A Genetic History" and "Practical Genetics for Dog Breeders", both by Malcom Willis, required reading for any serious German Shepherd fan, especially for breeders.

Colour diversity means genetic diversity

Genetic Diversity means vitality and fitness

Please note that responsible breeders of German Shepherds will not limit themselves to breeding only for colour. When you breed for colour alone, you sacrifice many more qualities, such as temperament, health and conformation. For more information on whether you should breed your dog or bitch, please contact us.

Dogs should prove their breed-worth by being controllable, social, and passed temperament testing and health tests such as hip and elbow x-rays.

Colour is controlled by several series of genes. Each series is worked through in the following:

THE AGOUTI SERIES

The basic body color is controlled by the genes. The order of dominance is:

a^y ... golden sable

a^w ... grey sable

a^s ... saddle marked black and tan

a^t ... bicolor* black and tan

a ..... black

*bicolor is where the dog only has tan on the legs and face, not on the body

The black gene a is recessive to the other colors. Blacks bred to blacks will only produce blacks. The sable colors are dominant over the other colors.

THE BLACK SERIES

This gene controls the black pigment formation.

BB ... Black pigment including nose, eyerims and pads

Bb ... Carrier for liver color

bb ... Liver color - brown black colors, brown nose, eye rims and pads.

Most GSDs are BB.

THE WHITE SERIES

White is recessive to all other colors. In order get a white coat color, both parents must carry the white gene (either be white themselves or be carriers.)

C ............. Melanin is produced. (Standard GSD's colors have this)

C^ch .......... Partial albinism - chinchilla (not seen)

C^d ........... White coat with dark eyes and nose (not albino – correct White Shepherd colour)

a^yC^chC^ch ... Yellowish coat collar (proposed)

White is completely independent of the genes for agouti, two-tone, or solid patterns that occur in colored dogs. It is also totally independent of either of the blue or liver dilution genes found in the breed. The white gene masks the genetic coat colour pigmentation of the dog, although it does not affect skin pigment. A good white should have dark eyes, and a black nose and lips.

Breeding white to white will result in whiter whites, and that breeding white to dogs with red ground color will produce whites with more cream tinge in their white. It is interesting too, that when a white has cream tinge-the cream usually is in the parts of the coat corresponding to the darkest areas on an agouti or two-tone dog-possibly a further indication of which whites also possesses pattern genes (see dog below). It is likely that breeders of whites selected dogs of paler pigment to breed with whites, in an effort to produce a whiter white, instead of white causing paling in colored dogs carrying a white gene. I have seen a number of good whites with excellent black pigment and very white coats. White whites with black pigment are the most desirable, but like good breeders of other colors, reputable white breeders also have to consider many things other than color in choosing their breeding partners.

It is very common for many white shepherds to have or develop this cream/gold colouration

on parts of the body which, in a standard black/gold dog would be black/dark.

A very white shortcoat

THE COLOR SERIES

Controls the intensity of the non-black coloration.

INT .... Lightest tan (cream)

int^m .. Intermediate tan (tan)

int .... Darkest tan (red)

The intensity of the color series determines whether dogs with color (i.e. not all-black or all-white recessives) will be black & cream, black & tan or black & red.

THE DILUTION SERIES

Controls how intense the black pigment will be.

D ... Dense pigment

d ... blue dilution

Bd ... Black pigment-blue dilution together begets a blue coat which looks as though it has a dusty or flour sheen.

THE MASK SERIES

E^m .... Produces a black mask on the face

E ...... Dark coat with no mask

e^br ... Brindle (rare, will be seen as striping on the legs)

e ...... Clear tan

The ee combination affects only the coat and not the nose. The black fades to tan. In these dogs, the tail tip will be red, not black.

How the white recessive gene is inherited

Coloured German Shepherd (carries white gene)	X	Coloured German Shepherd (carries white gene)	=	Coloured and white pups will be produced. Mixed litter.
Coloured German Shepherd (no white gene)	x	White German Shepherd	=	all coloured pups that will carry the recessive white gene. No white pups.
Coloured German Shepherd (carries white gene)	x	White German Shepherd	=	all coloured pups that will carry the recessive white gene and 25% of litter will be white.
White German Shepherd	x	White German Shepherd	=	100% all white

Colours in order of dominance…

Sable

Black and tan

Bi-Colour

Solid Black / Solid White (recessives)

More about solid blacks and solid whites (recessive genes)

The black gene is also recessive, so solid black x solid black will always = solid black.

Solid blacks and solid whites can carry any colour or pattern. They will carry the colour they are themselves. i.e. solid blacks will carry the solid black gene and solid whites will carry the solid white gene. This gene is passed onto offspring as a recessive. The colour of pups can be determined if there is knowledge of what colours lie in the pedigree/relatives and what the dog has proven to produce.

Whites and blacks can also carry any other coat colour or pattern i.e. sable, black and gold, blue, liver etc etc. Any colour German Shepherd can carry any combination of colour genes.

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